WorldVitalRecords.com and free databases vs. Ancestry.com
Look out Ancestry! The competition is gaining on you fast!
There’s a new genealogy site that I’m quite impressed with that has quickly grown to the point where it’s the third most visited genealogy site online per Alexa.
Right now they’re offering a sale until Sept 17 with 2 years of access for $49. Even at the normal $49/year its a great deal, and it’s not cheap because it’s lacking in content. They’re adding dozens of databases weekly, and they even offer full fee access to any new databases for 10 days after they are added - making it well worth checking out even if you aren’t ready to subscribe. The free content already sold me on a membership.
Browse recently added databases to see the new content and which ones are free. Or go ahead and sign up - they’ve made enough deals to ensure they’ll keep you busy with new data for a lomg time.
While there are a lot of subscription sites out there this one seems like it has a chance to displace Ancestry.com from the top site slot, and could force Ancestry to stop charging $299 for their full world collection.
World Vital Records was founded by former Ancestrty founder Paul Allen, who seems openly critical of Ancestry as having priced itself too high since he sold off his interest in the company.
Full WVR access for $49 is bargain compared to $299 for full access at Ancestry.com, and the recent moves by TGN/Ancestry with regard to the mess called FTM 2008 and the Internet database collection that alienated many online genealogists suggests Ancestry is arrogantly out of touch with the genealogy community.
The WorldVitalRecords.com two year plan also includes some free software, RootsMagic genealogy software.
I’m looking for akterntives since family Tree Maker 2008 won’t even import my old FTM file.
Ancestry already convinced me not to renew via their recent actions, so now WVR shines with a ray of hope that says inexpensive alternatives can offer great promise. I’m throwing my support to WVR as a vote of confidence and in the hopes that it forces a wake up call at TGN/Ancestry and because I’m sure I’ll find a lot by looking in fresh new sources..
WVRis also supposed to have a heavy emphasis on social networking (aka Web 2.0) by helping connect regional researchers to share data.
Geographical context is a great stepping stone to expanding on what you already know and for finding tangential info on your ancestors and how they lived.
Recent deals with Accessible Archives and NewspaperArchive.com have added hundreds of small town newspapers. One with Everton brings valuable books and info with it. I don’t think you’ll find any other genealogy site bringing such a broad range of materials together in one place as quickly as WVR has been growing.
